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Issue 168 - January 02, 2002
ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2002
==== 2232 Subscribers in 58 Countries ====
Welcome to the 168th issue of the PC Improvement News. PCIN
consists mainly of news and tips. There is something for everyone,
and if this is your first issue, I'm sure there will be something
for you. If you give me two or three issues, I know that you
will come back for more!
You can reach me at editor@pcin.net
with any suggestions or comments.
Recommend PCIN at http://PCIN.net/recommend.shtml
Support PCIN at http://PCIN.net/donate.shtml
CONTENTS
OPENING THOUGHTS
Happy New Year! By the time this goes out, everyone in all
58 countries where PCIN is read should now be in the year
2002. It seems hard to believe that the Y2K issue is already
2 years old. I can't believe that 2001 went by so quickly.
Time flies when you're having fun.
I sent out my first issue of PCIN on October 07, 1998 and
so this is the 5th calendar year. The newsletter itself is
over 3 years old. Overall I'm quite happy with the quality
of the newsletter, and the faithfulness of the subscribers.
I've met a lot of people from all over the world, and it is
all thanks to PCIN. Hopefully you've all gotten something
out of it as well; friends, help; some laughs :-)
At the beginning of years past, I've never bothered to set
any goals, but this year is different. I've set an ambitious
goal to reach the 5000-subscriber mark by the end of the year.
That means I need to more than double a total that has taken
me 3+ years to get. I can only do this with your help. Recommend
PCIN to all of your friends at http://PCIN.net/recommend.shtml;
Donate a small amount to help maintain the costs of PCIN at
http://PCIN.net/donate.shtml;
Make suggestions at http://PCIN.net/suggest.shtml;
and of course you can always email me at any time with your
constructive criticism, suggestions, or general comments at
editor@pcin.net
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The NEWS
Tobacco maker, PeoplePC target smokers
"R.J. Reynolds Tobacco has been quietly offering a
low-cost PC and Net access package to Doral smokers--signaling
a long-anticipated move onto the Web by cigarette advertising
powerhouses.
R.J. Reynolds, the No. 2 U.S. cigarette maker, launched
a Web site at Smokerswelcome.com in late October for Doral
customers. At the same time, in partnership with subsidized-computer
merchant PeoplePC, the company began an unannounced promotion
that lets Doral smokers buy a Hewlett-Packard PC, at $21.95
per month for 48 months, with free Net access for a year."
For more info:
http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-202-8297171.html
Lego Tinkered With Success, and Is Now Paying a Price
"For Christmas, Colin Stovel, 11, had his heart set
on one of Lego's new electronic or science fiction sets,
like Star Wars or Mindstorms. His father, Herb, 53, still
pines for the old Lego pirate ship, which the company eliminated
a few years ago.
The differing tastes of Colin and his father, a Unesco employee
in Rome - one looking for the latest fashion, the other
seeking nostalgia for the tried-and-true - are one strand
of the toy industry upheaval that has helped to cloud the
fortunes of Lego, the Danish multinational that built its
fame on the popular interlocking play bricks. Recently,
however, it lost its way as it sought to incorporate electronics
and licensed toys into its product mix."
For more info:
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/25/business/25LEGO.html
New Rankings: AOL, Microsoft, Yahoo! Still Dominant
"No matter how you look at it, AOL, Microsoft and
Yahoo! still dominate the Web.
That is the message from Internet analyst Jupiter Media
Metrix (Nasdaq: JMXI), which announced Wednesday that despite
changes in its measurement approach, the big three still
stand astride the U.S. Top 50 Web and digital media property
rankings.
In announcing a new categorization and reporting structure
aimed at more accurately representing 'an array of niche
content delivered through dynamic platforms and technologies,'
Jupiter found that AOL properties were in the top 10 ranking
of 37 categories and subcategories.
Jupiter said that Microsoft and MSN-branded components were
in the top 10 ranking of 28 categories and subcategories,
while the Yahoo! brand was in the top 10 ranking of 30 categories
and subcategories."
For more info:
http://www.newsfactor.com/perl/story/15497.html
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POLL of the WEEK
Here are the responses from the last poll:
For how long have you had a computer at home?
> 10 years: 42.27%
4 - 5 years: 10.31%
3 - 4 years: 9.28%
2 - 3 years: 9.28%
5 - 6 years: 7.22%
1 - 2 years: 7.22%
9 - 10 years: 6.19%
8 - 9 years: 3.09%
6 - 7 years: 3.09%
7 - 8 years: 2.06%
1 year: 0.00%
< 6 months: 0.00%
Total Votes: 97
Visit http://pcin.net/polls/
to participate in the new poll this week:
Where do you prefer to buy computer items?
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CHRISTMAS FUN
Last week I asked for emails regarding any new "toys"
that you got for Christmas. Dan and Roger replied as follows:
Dan O'Reilly
Hope you, Lisa and the rest of you family had a GREAT Christmas.
We did here, and the snow was an added bonus!
To answer your question, this year I got my first digital
camera. It's an HP315, 2.1 megapix, and I LOVE it!!!! I am
still trying to get used to the "no film" aspect,
as my whole life I have used only film media for photo creation.
This certainly offers many new possibilities for creative
experimentation.
Roger Thompson
Compusa had a sale 1100 celeron.17"monitor,&photo
printer for $565 . so I went to circuit city and matched it
plus they matched a 24x10x42 cdr/w for $49 and a hp 750 printer
for $165. when I got home mama said where's mine so I went
back and bought a 2nd one for my daughter in Missouri. also
bought me a creative live platinum audigy and polk 6 speaker
woofer set. a 4 year warranty on it all was $300. all with
no interest for a year. also aol free for 3 months. $75 [actually
$42 as I use dav.net]
so I replaced my pack bell 200 that cost $1700 with a celeron
1100 for $465.
I really like xp also. it has a wizard that sets up the net
work. also a wizard for aol sharing.
only problem was getting it to show win98 screens instead
of all the xp screens.
having a choice of users lets my 2 year old have his own window
and icons.
I recommend the reader rabbit series to teach babies the computer,ABC,colors,shapes,numbers,matching
etc. and etc. HE IS UP TO 1ST GRADE AND PHONICS WHICH HE REALLY
LIKES.
also for 6 month old the fisher-price baby smartronics[only
on ebay as not made anymore].
Iit has a babies keyboard and 3 + levels of teaching. drawback
is the keyboard attaches to your keyboard, so we painted the
pictures on the regular keyboard and didn't use the baby keyboard.
he used this program about 2 hours a day until he learned
the relationship of his hand on the mouse and the mouse on
the screen. that was about 16 months I think. then he kept
me up until 1 am playing with the mouse. I wouldn't let him
start and shutdown, but one day the computer was off and not
crashed, so I watched him and he shut it down right. he had
learned from watching me; just like he learned to put the
keys in the car and start it from watching me.
So now we have the dvd and 5.1 surround with a cdrw in one
computer. I just need to exchange the audigy card for a audigy
ex that has the sound controls and 1394 port external.[so
I can hide the computer and use the remote from my recliner.]
also my remote mouse and keyboard.
Sso I can set in my recliner drinking eggnog ,listening to
a GOOD stereo and play computer with the football game in
one corner.
EXCEPT MY 2 YEAR OLD SAYS" DADDY, PLEASE HIT EXIT SO
I CAN PLAY ON THE COMPUTER.' YUK LOL
ps: so now charles [2 yr old] has a 400 celeron in his bedroom
, a 450 celeron in the computer room and he uses the good
computer in the living room. if he learns to use a printer
I will be in trouble.
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FREEHELP FORUM
Visit the PCIN FreeHelp Forum to post your questions or answer
others. Each week I highlight a question, and where to go
to get the answer.
Question
Subscriber Randy emailed me the following:
" I have been looking @ photo editing software for
a couple months & cannot seem to decide. I want to
spend 85$ or less. Can you help?"
Answer
Please email me your recommendations to editor@pcin.net
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PCIN.net UPDATE
Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:
Sonic Foundry SIREN Jukebox 2.0 Review
http://pcin.net/help/software/sj2.shtml
WE Compute Magazine's Cheap Tricks of the Week
http://pcin.net/help/articles/cheaptricks.shtml
(The entire collection is in Microsoft Word format and currently
has 100 tips and tricks. You can download the file from
here)
Windows Registry Tips and Tweaks
http://pcin.net/help/articles/registry.shtml
(The entire collection is in Microsoft Word format and currently
has 76 registry tips. You can download the file from here)
Return to the top
THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF
Cheap Trick of the Week
A fate worse than the Blue Screen of Death
What's the worst thing that could happen to a devoted Windows
user?
How about finding that his or her computer has suddenly
been changed into a Macintosh?
So here's a nasty but harmless trick you can play on a fellow
PC owner - to make them believe this bizarre event has actually
happened to them.
Tell your friend you've got a great Web site to show them
on their Windows computer. Then direct them to http://www.yaromat.com/macos8/index.htm
with their Web browser.
Before they can stop it, the computer will start scrolling
up messages indicating their Windows system is being replaced
by the Macintosh operating system. It'll even appear to
boot up like a Mac and give them a screenwide desktop identical
to the Mac's.
If your (former) friend frantically clicks on the Mac-style
desktop icons they'll find a memory game to play and may
eventually discover how to restore the appearance of their
screen to the usual Windows design.
(Hint: Check out the trash.)
Get your own copy of "The Little Black Book
of Cheap Tricks: 2001" by visiting http://www.pcin.net/lbbct/
The Fathom Knowledge Network
"E-learning company Fathom Knowledge Network last
week launched a learning center at its web site, http://www.fathom.com/
to help people understand topics such as the roots of terrorism,
the history of religious extremism and political violence,
and the significance of the response of the U.S. government
and world community to Sept. 11.
Content comes from Fathom's 13 member institutions, including
Columbia University, the University of Chicago, and the
London School of Economics. Among the center's features
are lectures, seminars, and papers about Sept. 11, the Taliban,
and terrorists networks."
Animal Crackers 100th Anniversary
From the December 17/24, 2001 issue of eWeek magazine,
pg 66:
"Nabisco's celebration of the 100th anniversary of
its Barnum's Animal Crackers will be capped by an online
vote to add a new animal to the cookie line. Visitors to
http://www.nabiscoworld.com/
can vote for a walrus-, cobra-, koala bear- or penguin-shaped
cracker. This has prompted the Linux crowd to try to stack
the deck in favor of the penguin shape..."
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DISCLAIMER and OTHER
STUFF
PCIN is brought to you by PC Improvements. The opinions expressed
are those of the editor, Graham Wing. PC Improvements and
Graham Wing accept no responsibility for the results obtained
from trying the tips in this newsletter.
- If any of the links are too long to fit on one line, you
may have to cut and paste.
- You can only win one contest every 30 days.
- To subscribe another address or unsubscribe, please visit
http://www.pcin.net/ and follow the appropriate
links.
- Recommend PCIN to others at http://www.pcin.net/recommend.shtml
and be entered in a monthly draw.
- There are only 2 ways to get on the subscriber list. You
have either been subscribed by filling out a subscription
form on any of the pages on my site, or you have requested
FreeHelp from me in the past.
- If you have a web site or run your own newsletter, please
email me at editor@pcin.net and I will add it to the subscriber
web pages that I have on my site.
- Support PCIN by visiting http://www.pcin.net/donate.shtml
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Graham Wing can be reached at editor@pcin.net
Copyright 1998-2002, PC Improvements and Graham Wing. All
rights reserved.
This publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part,
as long as the author is notified and the newsletter is presented
as is.
Support PCIN by visiting http://www.pcin.net/donate.shtml
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